Chapter 14
Chapter 14
The Crime of Being a Student, Imprisoned in a Place Called School
“Each dormitory has a large bath on the first floor. Wash up and have everyone ready for bed by 10!”
Gibbles’ voice was echoed by the animated armors, spreading throughout the dormitory.
“Ugh, I can’t even move….”
“I’m hungry and have no strength.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just sleep like this, even if we’re a bit dirty?”
“Give me a break. My maid usually washes me.”
The upper-class students were already completely exhausted from the day’s events.
Still, some made their way to the bathhouse to wash.
On the first floor of the dormitory bathhouse, fountains connected to water pipes poured out crystal-clear water—but it was as cold as ice.
Those who touched it recoiled in shock.
“Ahh!”
“I-it’s freezing?!”
Even a brief touch numbed the hand.
And they were supposed to wash with this?
Some students protested.
“A-are you serious? If we wash with this, we’ll catch a cold!”
[This is a magic academy! Heat the water with magic!]
Gibbles’ blunt reply echoed back.
“But we haven’t even been taught anything yet….”
At that moment, Baroness Vulem, standing beside Gibbles, took up the caretaker’s lantern.
Her voice was relayed through the animated armors.
[This is something you would normally learn tomorrow, but I will give you a brief one-point lesson today.]
Baroness Vulem proceeded to teach the water-heating spell that was originally meant for the next day.
[In a proper lesson, I would explain the branches of magic, mana control, incantations, and so on in depth. But if I did that, your entire maintenance period would be gone.
Fortunately, the water-heating spell has a simple mana control method. The activation phrase is very well constructed.]
Time continued to pass during her explanation.
The thirty-minute maintenance period was painfully short.
Some students began to regret even coming to wash.
[Now then, let’s learn the activation phrase. Say “mul-depyo!” while channeling mana into your wand.]
The students were bewildered.
“That’s ridiculous. If magic were that easy, no one would struggle.”
“…I didn’t bring a wand.”
“I haven’t even bought one yet.”
Fortunately, a few students had brought their wands.
“I brought one, at least. Are these professors insane?”
Some attempted to cast the spell.
“mul-depyo?”
Of course, it didn’t work well.
[Since the incantation is well structured, your pronunciation must be precise to reduce mana consumption.
Otherwise, you must have excellent mana control to force an imperfect spell to work.]
Simply approximating the pronunciation wasn’t enough to properly control mana flow.
Most couldn’t even channel mana into their wands.
However, a few students who had done pre-learning managed to cast the spell.
When some succeeded in heating water, others looked on with envy.
“C-could you… maybe help me too?”
“Ah, well….”
Normally, the water-heating spell was basic magic—something any mage could easily learn.
The mana required was minimal.
Heating water to body temperature was well within the ability of beginner mages.
But unfortunately, they had just had their energy drained by the Succubus Queen.
It was like trying to jog on a treadmill right after donating blood.
Even those who succeeded could only heat a small amount of water, and trying to help others would push them to collapse.
“It feels like they’re deliberately tormenting us….”
The students trembled with resentment toward the professors.
In the women’s bath of the Euros dormitory, only two people had managed to heat water.
Sendia Aspinal and Astraea’s Marie.
“Ugh, it’s so cold.”
“Miss Aspinal, could you help us?”
Students who knew Sendia approached her with basins, asking her to heat water for them.
But she had no intention of helping.
‘No joke, I barely managed to heat enough for myself. And who knows what kind of ordeal awaits tomorrow? Why should I exhaust myself for others?’
Thinking this, Sendia spoke.
“I’m afraid I can barely manage enough for myself after having my energy drained by the succubus. Ah, right. Why not ask Lady Betelgeuse? Surely she… huh?”
Idnia, surprisingly, was already inside the bath, soaking as if the water wasn’t cold at all.
“W-what…?!”
A student touched the surface and recoiled.
“…It’s cold.”
“A-are you alright, Lady Betelgeuse?”
Everyone stared in shock at Idnia, calmly bathing in water cold enough to freeze bones.
“I’m fine. If it’s too cold, let’s just make damp towels and wipe ourselves down.”
“But that’s still too cold!”
Even wetting a towel felt unbearably cold.
“Ah, right. Miss Marie, can your holy magic help somehow?”
The students turned toward Astraea’s Marie.
She was already sweating.
“I can… but I can’t control it well.”
Marie hadn’t succeeded in Baroness Vulem’s spell.
Instead, she was directly heating the water using sacred flames from her holy magic.
Since she only knew holy magic and not standard magic, she had no choice but to use this inefficient method.
It consumed excessive mana and required delicate control—otherwise, it could cause a steam explosion.
There were many asking for help, and she herself was exhausted from having her energy drained.
“I-I’ll try somehow.”
“W-wait….”
The students, shivering from the cold, couldn’t bring themselves to pressure her further as they saw her struggling.
But no one stopped her either.
So Marie continued trying, forcing her holy magic to heat the water.
The problem was that sacred flames were meant for combat, not daily use.
A slight mistake could cause an explosion.
“Stop.”
Unable to watch any longer, Idnia stepped in.
“It seems Miss Marie is not in a condition to use magic after having her energy drained. Let’s rest for now and properly wash tomorrow. For today, we’ll manage with damp towels.”
“But it’s too cold.”
“Miss Aspinal, could you at least heat some water for the towels…?”
Some students asked Sendia again.
But she feigned weakness.
“Oh my, I feel like I’m dying. M-my heart… ahh….”
“……”
It seemed exaggerated, but no one could force her.
‘How irritating. She definitely has enough strength left.’
‘Should we ask Marie?’
‘But she was boiling water with combat magic earlier…’
‘That’s reckless. It could explode.’
As everyone hesitated, Idnia extended her hand.
“Please give me your towels. I’ll heat them.”
“What? But….”
“I can’t use the water-heating spell either, but I have my own methods. Though… it’s not something I can show openly.”
“Lady Betelgeuse….”
“Please wait over there. Don’t come.”
Idnia collected the towels and went behind the fountain, out of sight.
After a short while, she returned—with steam rising from the towels.
“Eh?”
Everyone was shocked.
“Ah! Th-they’re warm!”
“Th-thank you, Lady Betelgeuse!”
“How did you do it?”
“Ah, it’s a secret of my family… not something I can show yet.”
‘I didn’t lie. If anything, I only told the truth.’
Idnia had activated the Tyrant Art, using aura to compress and heat the wet towels, even drying her own hair with the heat.
But doing so would reveal her transformed state…
‘No need to become gossip material.’
After handing out the warm towels, she left.
“Then I’ll head back to rest. Good night.”
“Yes!”
As soon as she left, the students began chatting.
“Wow, Lady Betelgeuse is amazing.”
“Her leadership earlier in the forest too… she really feels like someone important.”
“She’s so mature and cool!”
Watching this, Sendia clenched her teeth.
‘Idiots. Getting impressed over something as trivial as warm towels….’
Caretaker Gibbles checked the clock, and the moment thirty minutes passed, he grabbed the lantern.
“Time’s up! Lights out!”
“What?!”
“T-that’s impossible! I haven’t even dried my hair—”
“Silence! Lights out!”
As he pointed the lantern and shouted, the academy lights went out.
“Haha! Since it’s the first day, you’ll sleep well!”
“Ugh, that caretaker….”
“How are we supposed to dry our hair in thirty minutes?”
“Should I wrap it in a towel? The bed is cheap, everything’s damp… I can’t sleep like this….”
The students, mostly from wealthy families, grumbled as they lay down on the shabby dorm beds.
And the moment they lay down, they all fell asleep instantly.
Their bodies were far more honest than their complaints.
The next morning, a short maintenance period was given upon waking.
But most students simply collapsed back into sleep.
Even commoners admitted to the academy were essentially upper-class by ordinary standards, and none were used to such grueling conditions at such a young age.
Swordsmanship training for an hour or two was nothing compared to crossing a forest overnight while fighting skeletons.
Physical stamina for training and for labor were entirely different.
In the end, the only ones who woke early to prepare were Idnia, accustomed to physical hardship, and Marie, who came from a commoner background.
“Ah, did you sleep well?”
“Y-yes… I… well….”
Marie looked exhausted.
It seemed she hadn’t recovered after overexerting herself with holy magic the previous night.
Seeing her condition, Idnia picked up her shoes and brush.
“Rest. I’ll clean them for you.”
“What?! N-no! How could I let a duke’s daughter do that?!”
“We’re both academy students. You look unwell, so I’m helping. You can return the favor someday.”
“Th-that….”
Marie was deeply moved by Idnia’s lack of pretension and her equal treatment.
And moreover…